The Polyamines Gordon Research Conference (GRC) has continuously run since 1975, where it provides a multidisciplinary forum that brings together top polyamine researchers as well as young and established investigators new to the field. The 2013 Polyamines GRC will be held at Waterville Valley Resort in Waterville Valley, NH, from June 16-21, 2013, and it will be focused on the regulation and role of polyamine pathways in cell physiology, development and human disease, and on the use and development of small molecules targeting polyamine metabolism as therapeutic agents in cancer, infectious disease and metabolic disorders. The GRC is unanimously regarded as the pre-eminent venue for the presentation of the very best in polyamine research. Polyamines are small, essential polycations found in all forms of life, yet their regulation varies widely among species and polyamine homeostasis is disabled in several pathological states. In particular, polyamines play unique roles in human pathogens and polyamine metabolism is markedly altered in ischemia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer, and in autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, the GRC brings together top-notch researchers who study polyamines in several organisms (vertebrates, yeast, plants, protozoa and bacteria) with those assessing therapeutic applications. This collage of scientific disciplines is unique amongst GRCs and creates a remarkably stimulating environment, with experts from many disciplines, including biologists, chemists, structural biologists and clinicians, and investigators from both academia and the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. The 2013 Polyamines GRC will feature presentations from scientists at the forefront of basic and translational polyamine research, with an emphasis on the role of polyamines in tumorigenesis and metabolic and infectious diseases. The meeting will include presentations on roles of polyamines in basic cellular processes (e.g., epigenetics, transcription, translation, ion channel function), in development and disease, the normal and aberrant control of polyamine homeostasis and transport, polyamine- targeted drug development and clinical oncology and infectious disease trials. Presentations by invited speakers will be 30 minutes, followed by 10-minute discussion period. Sessions will also include short talks by students and postdoctoral fellows whose work is chosen from poster presentations. There will be two poster sessions during the meeting. To foster participation of young scientists, the 2013 GRC is held in conjunction with the 4th Polyamines Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). The GRS provides graduate students and fellows with a constructive venue that fosters the exchange of data in the absence of all but a few senior colleagues. The GRS has made the GRC a richer, more constructive experience, as it promotes the participation of young scientists during the main conference. The interactions between GRS and GRC conferees will facilitate the sharing of new research ideas, toolsets and model systems and will forge new collaborations that will to drive the field forward.